AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — A tradition that began in 1964 in Austin, Texas, and has since grown nationally is now taking off in Amarillo. This is Amarillo’s White Cane Day celebration.
“To me, White Cane Day is learning how to be independent; life doesn’t stop,” said Antonio Chavez, advocate for the blind and vision impaired.
“White Cane Day or white cane in general is independence; it gets you to where you need to go,” said Jose Briseno, advocate for the blind and vision impaired.
The celebration at Region 16 on Wednesday is all about connecting resources to those who are blind or visually impaired.
“You can speak to them as a human and ask them what they need because they know better than what we do,” said Winston Smith, certified orientation mobility specialist (COMS). So, start treating them as people and not ignoring them, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.”
“Do you feel the city of Amarillo and the state of Texas have enough services for people who are blind or visually impaired?”
“I honestly feel there are enough resources; it’s just that using the same resources to make things a little more accessible in general,” said Briseno.
“I believe there is a good amount, yes,” said Chavez. “It did take a bit of finding PILC Panhandle Independent Living Skills and working with the Texas Workforce Commission and seeing what they have to offer. I do believe they do have a good amount, it just takes the gumption to get there and making sure you’re advocating for yourself to get those resources.”
There are a number of other National White Cane Day observances going on throughout the state of Texas on Oct. 15. The one in Amarillo is believed to be the only one in the Texas Panhandle.